Tag: Zamfara State

Zamfara: “Ex-Gov. Matawalle distributed Hilux vans to bandits; didn’t invest in public transport” – Govt.

Aminu Imam

The Zamfara State Government has described the legacy left by former Governor Bello Matawalle as buying vehicles for bandits. The State’s commissioner for budget and planning, AbdulMalik Gajam, in an interview hosted by the Chief Executive Officer of Arewa Twitter, Abdullahi Otaki, on X (formerly Twitter), noted that Matawalle, who is the current Minister of State for Defence under President Bola Tinubu’s government, failed to make any investment in mass transit while gifting vehicles to terrorists. Gajam said, “Recently, the governor cried out that there was a move with the…

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One killed, as bandits abduct Zamfara monarch, 5 others

Aminu Imam

Bandits have reportedly abducted the district head of Ruwan-Rana, in Bukkuyum local government area of Zamfara State, Magaji Makau and five others. An indigene of the area, Mohammed Musa told newsmen that the bandits, who rode into Ruwan-Rana town in the early hours of Saturday, killed one person during the attack. They reportedly arrived in the town around 3 a.m., began shooting sporadically and later went from house to house, where they abducted the district head and five other prominent persons. It was alleged that they killed one person who…

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‘How past govt. mismanaged billions of naira meant for cargo airport’ – Zamfara Govt.

Aminu Imam

The Zamfara State government has presented some evidence against the immediate-past administration in the State, in relation to the Gusau International (cargo) Airport project. Matawalle, last Friday, denied the allegations of embezzling billions from the Zamfara cargo airport project. In a statement issued in Gusau yesterday, the Spokesperson to Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said that the response by Matawalle exposed a “blatant violation of trust, opening a Pandora’s Box”. According to him, the bad financial situation the current administration met in Zamfara State was caused by the past government of…

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Judgement Day: Zamfara Gov. Tribunal to deliver judgement today

Aminu Imam

The Zamfara State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Sokoto has fixed today,Monday 18th September 2023 to deliver judgement. The Zamfara State Election Tribunal, sitting in Sokoto, is set to announce its judgment in the case involving Governor Dauda Lawal, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his predecessor, the former governor of the State and now Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle. The tribunal is set to deliver its verdict on the petition filed by Matawalle challenging the validity of the election that brought in Dauda Lawal as…

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Insecurity: ‘Bandits controlling over 400 communities in Zamfara’ – Public Commentator

Aminu Imam

A public commentator in Zamfara State, Buhari Abubakar, has advised both the federal and state governments to, as a matter of urgency, tackle the menace of insecurity in the State. Abubakar, who lamented that banditry was waxing stronger than before, explained that nobody should pretend that all is well in the State, because according to him, residents have not been sleeping with their two eyes closed for over a decade. “The terrorists formed their own government in these areas and decide what happens and what should be done in the…

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Zamfara: Group protests at EFCC office, demands immediate arrest of ex-Gov. Matawalle

Aminu Imam

A group, known as ‘the voice of the voiceless’, yesterday stormed the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abuja, demanding the arrest of the immediate-past Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle. Recall that Matawalle served as Governor of Zamfara State between 2019 and 2023. The group, led by its Chairman, Nasiru Isma’ila Doka, urged the EFCC to re-open its earlier investigation into Matawalle’s tenure, which was not be concluded because of the constitutional immunity clause protecting the governor then. In a protest letter submitted to the EFCC,…

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“Insecurity: Angry students block major highway, protest abductions in Zamfara

Aminu Imam

Motorists travelling along Gusau-Funtua Road were stranded on Saturday as students of Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State blocked the ever-busy highway in protest of incessant abductions of their schoolmates by bandits. Defying armed security personnel in the state capital, hundreds of students blocked the major road linking Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states. The protesting students started marching from Damba to Sabon-Gida, the community opposite the main campus of the university. They said five of their colleagues were kidnapped on Friday night in the Damba area, a community on the…

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Zamfara: Police raid ex-Gov. Matawalle’s house, impound vehicles

Aminu Imam

Officers of the Nigerian Police yesterday raided the home of former Gov. of Zamfara state, Bello Matawalle in Maradun yesterday morning and seized some Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), according to sources. This happened after the new Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal accused Matawalle of stealing official vehicles from the Government House before handing over the State’s leadership to him. Recall that Lawal, during a radio programme in the state capital, Gusau, on Wednesday, said his predecessor sold all the official vehicles, refrigerators, television sets and other items in the Government House. However,…

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“Matawalle took over N2.79bn vehicles with him when he left office” – Zamfara Gov, Lawal

Aminu Imam

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has alleged that his predecessor, Bello Matawalle spent N2,794,337,500 on vehicles and failed to leave them behind upon his exit from office last Monday. The governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Sulaiman Bala Idris, in a statement issued yesterday, said a contract awarded by the former governor, for the purchase of vehicles to be distributed to dignitaries and other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) at N1,149,800,000. It added that the contract for the purchase of the vehicles was awarded to Hafkhad Properties and…

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Terrorists kill 16 people in separate attacks in Zamfara

Aminu Imam

Terrorists in the Birnin Magaji area of Zamfara State have vowed to continue attacking local communities in the area until a unit of soldiers stationed in the area is withdrawn. According to residents from Birnin Magaji, Mazauda, Nasarawa Mai-layi and Gidan Kane communities, who spoke to newsmen on the recent attacks that led to the death of 16 people, said several others were wounded during the attacks. The residents, who asked not to be named for security reasons, also said the terrorists has placed a ban on all farming activities…

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